Nashville, Baby!

As mentioned in the post below, JT and I took a road trip to Nashville, TN for the Country Music Festival. Below are some more memorable parts to the trip that made it what it was.

“Famous” Guitar Shaped Swimming Pool

Our hotel was less that favourable – a bit run down – but so close to the main venue that appearance was overlooked (and exorbitant price was paid). Little did we know, however, that we were going to be privy to arguably one of Nashville’s tourist gems.

The guitar shaped swimming pool. Yes, that’s right. It was shaped like a guitar and had strings painted on the bottom. Um, obviously we had to swim in it. Cleanliness was questionable, but he and I swam in the Nile so…I think we’re immune to anything now.

Down Home Southern Food

We wanted to experience Southern food at its finest, so we asked the Front Desk Attendant where to go. She pointed us in the direction of Swett’s, a cafeteria style restaurant with THE most amazing potatoes, chicken, and macaroni and cheese that I’ve tasted.

But while the food itself was memorable, it was the experience we had as we drove up to the restaurant that really makes it stick out. See, JT and I are, well, white. And the Front Desk lady was…not. So she sent us to where she eats, which is frequented only – or so it seems – by the African American population of Nashville. We felt like we were invading their turf. Thankfully, they let us stay!

There aren't any black people in this photo but I assure you we were the minority!

Eric Church

Oh, hey sexy...

I love this man. Seriously. While all the performers were phenomenal, Eric Church’s performance of “Springsteen” will forever stick in my mind as the one of the best moments of the concerts.

Everyone in the stadium had cell phones and little key flashlights from another performer, and during the “oh” part of the song, everyone sang with him and lit their lights. I can’t even do it justice with words. YouTube it. I almost died.

Drunk Night

Friday night was our drunken night of debauchery. I honestly can’t remember most of it, but I do remember meeting an English man who invited us to visit him in Malta; trying to make friends with two people from Oklahoma who wanted nothing to do with me (rude); filling up our Diet Cokes with vodka from JT’s smuggled flask in the men’s washroom (there were men present in the washroom at the time. In order to make them more comfortable with my presence, I told them all that it was okay that I was in there because I knew how “they” worked. Meaning their, you know…you know); smuggling in little shots of vodka and Jack Daniels in my bra; and dancing on the bar of Coyote Ugly. There are pictures, but they are far too inappropriate and unattractive to post here. Somehow we made it back to our room. Neither of us know how.

Walmart Guns

Naturally, being in the South meant that we had to visit Walmart to see if there were any “Walmartians”. There weren’t, much to my dismay, but there WAS a section for hunting. Being a gun enthusiast such as myself (and by that I mean I really want to shoot one), I had to see if I could purchase one from Walmart. I couldn’t, as they don’t sell guns in the urban Walmarts, but they do sell ammo.

Me: “Does ammo mean bullets?”

Walmart Employee: “Ma’am, should you be shooting things if you don’t know what ammo is?”
Me: “Oh God no, not at all! I just really like guns!”
WE: “Um…”

After our conversation with WE about how there is a lot of paperwork to fill out and it’s really not that easy to purchase a gun, especially since we don’t have proof of residency in the US, another employee told us that there was a place around the corner that sells guns and, if we didn’t have the required documents, we would just have to pay an extra $30.

It really IS that easy to buy a gun in the States…

JT

What can I say that really captures how much I appreciate this guy? He has seen me at my worst, physically (you get pretty sick after swimming in the Nile…) and mentally (I wasn’t on meds for the majority of our travels…poor guy put up with more from me than he EVER should have), yet he still wants to be my friend. And travel with me! I will forever be grateful not only for his friendship, for his unwavering loyalty to me when I would have left me and my irrational moods a week into our friendship.

I don’t know where I would be without you, buddy! Thanks for everything!

Obviously, there were a lot more experiences in Nashville, but those were some of the funniest. Can’t wait ‘til next year!

Love,

M